Travis‘s first National Championship was in 2006, where he placed third in the 77 kg weight class. He was 18 years old at the time. His most recent National Championship was in 2019, where he won the 81 kg weight class with a 318 kg total at 31 years old. That’s 13 years at the top of the food chain in US weightlifting. And it’s not like he had success as a junior, retired and took a long time off, and then came back in his 30s with a big splash. Travis has been at the top all those years, every step of the way.

Most people have no idea what it takes to have that kind of longevity in Olympic weightlifting. This sport chews up most people and spits them out within five years. Travis hasn’t just stayed in the game for almost two decades now. He’s done what almost nobody has been able to do over that span of time. He’s kept winning. And he also made sure he got an education and established a successful professional life along the way, which tells you even more about his internal determination and self-discipline.

Travis is one of the great US weightlifters of the modern era. He wouldn’t tell you that himself because he’s a very modest guy, but his credentials speak for themselves. We are honored to share his story.

Tell us about your background. Where are you from, where do you currently live, what’s your occupation (if you work in addition to training), family life, what kind of sports background do you have outside of lifting, etc.

I am originally from Tyrone, GA, a small town about 30 minutes south of Atlanta. I went to high school at Sandy Creek High School, where strength training was emphasized for all sports. Our program produced high level athletes of all sorts, and I had to opportunity to go to high school with Calvin Johnson of the Detroit Lions and 2012 and 2016 Gold Medalist in the triple jump, Christian Taylor. By seeing those guys and others from my high school succeed in sports, it has shown me that there is more than genetics and chance that goes into becoming a high-level athlete. I firmly believe that it is the early development of strength that gives an athlete the advantage.

Growing up, I played almost every sport at some point or another, but the main three were baseball, football, and wrestling. Around sixth grade, my parents encouraged me to start lifting weights to get better at other sports. At that time, lifting weights meant the traditional bench press, squat, and other upper body movements.

I currently live in Wilmington, NC where I am a software developer at Live Oak Bank. I develop software solutions for deposits products at the bank.

Describe your weightlifting history. When/how did you start? Who have your coaches been? What championships and international teams do you have on your record? What are your best lifts?

After I had been lifting weights for a while, I realized that I enjoyed the weight room much more than competing in any of the other sports. I was excelling at lifting weights, and I was stronger than all of my peers, especially in the back squat. I realized that I was never going to be tall enough or big enough to be a successful football or baseball player, so I decided to concentrate on wrestling.

In order to prepare for wrestling season, I decided to check out a gym called Velocity Sports Performance to increase my conditioning. Little did I know I would run into my first coach, CJ Stockel. I met CJ, and he quickly convinced me to come and lift the next day. He was coaching Chandler Alford, a previous Junior National Champion and resident at the OTC. That was the first day I witnessed a heavy snatch. Chandler snatched about 120kg which was definitely intimidating at first because up to that point, I had not met many people that could beat me pound for pound in any exercise (we were both 77kg at the time). I remember going home that night and trying out a snatch in my basement to see how I stacked up. I worked up to 155 lbs. (~70kg). I'm sure it was with hideous form for a power snatch. I remember it being very painful because it was the first time I had ever done a snatch, so it was a new movement for my shoulders. In my head I was thinking, “There is no way I will ever catch up to anyone snatching 120kg, that is so much weight!”

From that point on, I kept training and slowly over time I began to see that if I worked hard, I could compete at a high level in weightlifting. I won the Schoolage Nationals in 2005, which motivated me further to pursue weightlifting. Through my career, I have been lucky enough to win the Junior Nationals in 2008, Collegiate Nationals in 2010, and Senior Nationals five times. Internationally, I have won the gold medal in the clean and jerk at the 2010 World University Championships and silver overall, as well as medals in the clean and jerk and total at the Pan Am Championships in 2013 and 2014. My best lifts are 155kg/195kg/350kg, and in competition 150kg/191kg/341kg.

Please give a basic description of your training. Just tell us as much as you can about your program, weekly/yearly planning, etc.

I used to train nine times a week with two training sessions on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Since I started working as a software developer, I have had to adjust my training to fit my new schedule. I typically train four to six days a week with an occasional two-a-day training if I have a lighter schedule at work.

Training will vary depending on how far out from competition I am. I abide by typical concepts such as volume trending downward and intensity trending upward throughout a training cycle. I believe a lifter’s intuition is their biggest asset, and an athlete who is able to be completely honest with themselves is the most effective over time. Sometimes when an athlete feels beat up, they have to be able to know when to push through it and when to back down. The athletes who consistently make the right decisions in these situations over a period of five to 10 years are the athletes that will experience the most success with fewer injuries.

I believe you have to be strong to lift big weights. When I was younger, my natural strength was that I was very strong. Through the middle of my career, I needed to work on more movement refinement, so I had a much higher emphasis on the lifts than the strength movements such as squat, press, push press, and rows. At this point, my technique is pretty ingrained for better or worse, so I am back to the mindset of focusing on strength first while maintaining technique, and then close to competition specialize in the lifts.

I think an ideal weightlifter would start and focus on movement patterns for several years, and then later in their career focus on maintaining movement patterns while increasing strength as a primary goal. At the moment, I am focused on increasing my strength, and I might even dabble in powerlifting to keep that goal constantly present.

Describe some of the obstacles you face, or maybe some things that frustrate you in your weightlifting life. What kinds of changes would you like to see, either personally or with the sport in general?

Weightlifting is a tough sport. But the struggle is what makes it rewarding. There are a lot of back seat drivers on forums who seem to have all the answers. Oftentimes, people who have not been around the sport very long are critical of training programs from established coaches.

It is definitely a big pet peeve to go to international competition knowing that my competitors are open about having an unfair advantage and then having people watching back home knock on me for not placing higher. I would like to one day see an even playing field with drug testing to see what kind of difference it really makes.

Balancing career, relationships, and weightlifting is definitely a struggle that all lifters face. Time needs to be well spent in order to maximize your potential in weightlifting. To gain or maintain strength, it is important to have a career that allows flexibility and less than average stress. I have been lucky to find a career that allows a certain amount of remote work while having a decent salary.

Sometimes, you have to sacrifice in the short term to get to where you want to go in the future. There were two times that increased the longevity of my weightlifting career which in theory sound counter intuitive. One was leaving the OTC in 2008 to finish my degree at Georgia Tech. The second was primarily focusing on a career change in 2016-2018. My training took a huge hit in the short term in both cases, but my long-term goals were eventually fulfilled, and my training got back on track. Because of those two decisions to sacrifice my weightlifting performances in the short term, I am able to continue to train and enjoy this sport when a lot of my peers have long retired.

What are your plans and goals for your weightlifting career? How do you see your future in the sport? Do you plan to stay involved in weightlifting after your top competitive years are over?

My ultimate goal is to compete in the Olympics. I would also like to win the Pan Am Championships. One day at a time though, the keys are staying healthy because it takes time and persistence to get to that level.

I plan to continue to compete in weightlifting for the long term. I may not always take my training as seriously, but I enjoy training and competing. I want to stay part of the weightlifting community for life.

I have coached as well as competed since 2009, and I have been lucky to run into some pretty talented folks. I have had lifters medal at nationals, junior nationals, and AO Series meets. I enjoy coaching, and I have long term plans to hopefully coach athletes to the world championships and Olympics in the future. I am thankful that weightlifting did not come natural to me because that has helped me be a student of the game. Learning the sport thoroughly has helped me have some early success as a coach, but as with any skill, the more you know, the more you realize you don’t know.

It has always been a long-term goal to be the CEO of USA Weightlifting since I was about 20 years old. I am not sure that I have ever vocalized such a goal, however, after my competitive career and coaching career are over, I would like to serve in that position.

Who are some of your major influences, people you look up to, etc.? Who are the people you want to thank for your success?

I would not be competing today if it was not for meeting CJ Stockel and Chandler Alford. They introduced me to the sport and shaped my life in ways they probably do not even know. CJ and Chandler encouraged me to attend Georgia Tech, which is what gave me the foundation to have a successful career beyond the platform.

In 2007, I was asked to be a resident at the Olympic Training Center to train under coach Paul Fleschler. That opportunity took my lifting from the beginner stage to intermediate stage. Over the course of two years, my total increased 50kg.

Working with coach Glenn Pendlay at MuscleDriver USA between 2012-2016 changed my views on technique and training. My understanding of the sport progressed and my lifts are now at a much higher level as a result, and I can now consider myself an advanced lifter.

My current coach, Walt Neubauer, has helped me stay motivated, and he is building a great team in Wilmington, which has been a lot of fun to watch over the past couple of years. With the increase in competitive atmosphere, I am confident that we will see a lot of impressive lifts from the lifters in this gym over the next couple of years.

Notable training partners of the past that deserve some credit include Chandler Alford, Jason Bourgeois, and Jake Rubash. During college, I did not have a coach and these guys kept me motivated throughout that period of time.

It’s been a pleasure to watch your career, Travis. You’re a role model in this sport, and we wish you all the success in the world throughout your future.